UK backed to find ‘game-changing’ cancer cure despite Brexit hurdles

The UK has been backed to find ‘game-changing’ cancer cure despite Brexit hurdles.

So far during the coronavirus pandemic more than 85 million doses of covid vaccines have been administered in the UK. This unique challenge for the world has seen scientists come together. They have been able to produce vaccines in a matter of months, which would normally take years. This includes the Oxford University who scientists came together with AstraZeneca.

Now though people are wondering whether other areas could see breakthroughs too, including cancer. It is hoped that this could lead to “game-changing” discoveries.

Professor Kristian Helin will soon become the chief executive and president of the Institute for Cancer Research. Speaking to Times Higher Education, Helin said: “The difference between this virus and cancer is that Covid is, by and large, one disease with a very well-understood genome.

“Cancer is much more complex, it’s more like 400 types of disease for which you need to develop therapies.”

He also believes that the pandemic could help further cancer research.

“It shows how important fundamental research is – basic research developed over many years allowed vaccine researchers who weren’t working on coronavirus to address this critical issue”, said Helin.

“Fundamental biological research is not so different – scientists working on cancer and on different diseases could develop different techniques to test and treat cancer.

“We have achieved quite a lot in cancer research over the past 20 years.

“It’s massive to see the impact that science and treatments have on people’s lives – at the ICR, an institution which spans the whole spectrum of activity.

“I now have the keys to facilitate what is already very strong research.”

The Danish scientist is set to start work in London after a series of challenges have hit Cancer research in the UK, and sadly this includes Brexit too. Post-Brexit, the UK is finding it harder to attract European scientists to the country.

Prof Helin thinks that science in the UK can still progress though.

“Cancer Research UK and other charities in general have funded a number of programmes in both fundamental and translational research, and it’s vital that we have money for both approaches,” said Helin.

“Moving forward, they will not fund as many grant applications, and that is extremely worrying.

“British science has been one of the strongest, if not the strongest, in Europe over many years – the UK has been a successful nation partly because science has been dominant in its national life, so I trust that they’ll figure out how to solve these problems.”

Thank you for reading, and don’t forget to check The Euro Weekly News for all your up-to-date local and international news stories.